Leinster, the defending champions, have been drawn against Wasps, Bath and Toulouse in next season’s Heineken Champions Cup in a pool that boasts a collective 11 previous titles.
Leinster clinched their fourth European crown in Bilbao in May and have been pitted against Toulouse, also four-times winners, as well as the Premiership duo, who have three titles between them, in Pool One of the rebranded competition.
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Saracens, who relinquished the trophy last season having won it for the previous two campaigns, have been handed a kinder draw with Glasgow Warriors, Lyon and Cardiff Blues – the current Challenge Cup champions – in Pool Three.
Newcastle face a difficult task on their return to Europe’s elite competition with Toulon, the three-times winners, Vern Cotter’s Montpellier and Edinburgh in Pool Five. The Falcons last took part in the 2004-05, when they reached the quarter-finals, but make a timely return in the same season that Newcastle’s St James’ Park hosts the final for the first time.
In Pool Two Exeter and Gloucester, another English side making a return to the competition, have been paired together along with the Top 14 champions Castres and Munster. And in Pool Four Leicester have been drawn against last season’s runners-up Racing 92 for the third straight season with the Pro14 duo Ulster and Scarlets joining them.
In the Challenge Cup Paddy Jackson will make a swift return to Ireland with Perpignan after the newly promoted French side were drawn in the same pool as Connacht. Jackson signed for Perpignan earlier this month after his contract with Ulster and the Ireland Rugby Football Union was terminated following his acquittal of rape and sexual assault charges in March. Northampton have been handed a difficult-looking draw alongside the French side and three-times Champions Cup runners-up Clermont Auvergne as well as the Dragons and Timisoara Saracens.
Bristol have announced the signing of the former Australia captain and flanker George Smith on a six-month deal. Smith, who turns 38 in July, will join the newly promoted side as injury cover from the Queensland Reds for his second spell in the Premiership, having enjoyed a successful 2015-16 season with Wasps. With 111 caps for the Wallabies, Smith brings plenty of experience to Pat Lam’s side and joins Charles Piutau and John Afoa as high-profile arrivals over the summer.
Smith’s return to England could also benefit Eddie Jones’s struggling national side. While at Wasps Smith was seconded by Jones – who gave the flanker his first Australia cap – to conduct specialist breakdown coaching sessions prior to the 2016 Six Nations before England went on to claim the grand slam.